THE WORD AS A WEAPON : Thursday August 20th 2015

Topic:THE WORD AS A WEAPON 

Memorise: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrew 4:12

Bible text: Matthew 4:1-11

 Bible in one year: Genesis 29-30, John 17:1-19

Besides shouting, praising God, the Name of Jesus and the Blood of Jesus, another very important weapon available to believers in Christ is the word of God. Psalm 1:2-3 reveals that the word of God is a weapon against physical and financial dryness. Psalm 1:3 says:

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

This is simply great. The word of God fights against every anti-progressive element it comes in contact with. If you delight in God’s word and meditate daily on it, you create the opportunity for it to work for your prosperity. How often do you spend quality time feasting on God’s word? Some people think they are doing other people a favour by reading the Bible. No! You are only doing yourself a favour. If you fail to create time for the word, you are only doing yourself a disservice.

Moreover, the word of God is a very powerful weapon against the devil. When the devil came to tempt the Lord Jesus, He overcame him using the word of God. He kept saying “it is written….”. Whenever you engage the devil, use the word. Some people think that the Bible is becoming too old-fashioned to combat modern schemes of the devil. That is a lie from the devil himself! The Bible is ever relevant and never loses its power, message and effectiveness, irrespective of the times. Always apply the word; it always works! After becoming the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), I went on a familiarisation tour. The youths rejoiced over God’s choice to place me in that position. One day during the tour, we were heading towards my village when the devil said to me, “You are now very popular; it is better you die when you are popular than when you become unpopular.” Immediately, this word of God in Psalm 118:17 came out of my mouth: “I shall not die but live, and I will declare the works of the Almighty God.” Five minutes later, we narrowly escaped a horrible accident. At that time, the entire congregation of the RCCG was below 1000. If the word of God had not come forth to deal with the devil, he would have had me for breakfast. He could anticipate an explosion of God’s move in the church and he wanted to stop it, but the word of God stopped him. Never neglect opportunities to know more of the word.

 Action Point:Know the word, believe it, apply it and expect it to work, and it will work wonders.

Read More

STEALING FROM YOUR EMPLOYER? :Wednesday August 19th 2015

Topic:STEALING FROM YOUR EMPLOYER?

Memorise: Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; Ephesians 6:6

Bible Text: Ephesians 6:5-8

 Bible in one year: Genesis 27-28, John 16:16-33

One aspect of Christian character that is often neglected is our attitude to our place of paid employment. Some people out-rightly steal things kept in their care by their employer; such should not even be mentioned among Christians. However, there are other subtle ways people steal from their employers. When you accept to work for an organisation, there is an understanding or even a written agreement regarding your working hours. If you are to resume at 7:30 AM but you get late to work, you are stealing time from your employer. If you are to close at 5:00 PM but you leave at 4:00 PM, you are a thief. There are even situations where an employee will resume and close

Read More

LIFE MORE ABUNDANT : Tuesday August 18th 2015

Topic:LIFE MORE ABUNDANT 

Memorise: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Bible Text: John 10:9-11

 Bible in one year: Genesis 24:62-26:35, John 15:18-16:15

God’s plan for His children is that they do not become sick at all (3^rd John 2). All through His years on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ was never sick. If you believe in Him and fully obey Him, it is possible for you to never be sick again. Sickness is alien to God’s temple – your body. It is a stranger, an invader and a tool of the enemy. John 10:10 says the mission of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your health, kill your body and destroy you. But thank God, 1^st John 3:8 Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Every work of darkness operating in your life shall be destroyed in Jesus’ Name.

Moreover, Jesus came to give life. The life He came to give is not in limited measure, but at a level described as being more than abundant. In other words, in superlative measure! Life is the opposite of death. Any resemblance of death in you shall be uprooted now! The life of Jesus gives includes physical life; hence, He can reverse the process of death in a human body (Acts 9:39-41). It also includes spiritual life: He imparts life to a spiritually dead fellow and is able to sustain this life until He returns (1^st Peter 2:24). This is how those who were once sinners became saints and remain holy until they sleep in death or are caught up in the rapture. Jesus also gives intellectual life. He can resurrect the mental faculty of a dullard and turn the fellow into a genius (Acts 4:13). His abundant life includes financial life: He makes the deeply impoverished to become financially empowered (2^nd Corinthians 8:9). The abundant life restores health to the sick, makes the barren fruitful, changes the story of the one covered with shame, gives beauty for ashes, joy to the sorrow-laden, compassion to the neglected and so much more. It is capable of multiplying provision of overflowing measure. Are you a beneficiary of the abundant life? Any blessing to you have in limited measure can be made available to you abundantly. This season, the abundant life that Jesus gives shall be your portion! Reject anything that is less than the abundant life! Do everything possible to live a life that is filled with God’s abundance.

 Key Point:Although Jesus has made all good things abundantly available, your faith will determine the level of what you draw from it.

Read More

PROGRESS WITH SPEED :Monday August 17th 2015

Topic:PROGRESS WITH SPEED

Memorise: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Psalm 124:7

Read: Psalm 126:1-4

Bible in one year: Genesis 24:1-61, John 15:1-17

Promotion can come to you through either human or divine assistance. The assisted state of progress attained through this promotion moves you to a level where you are not supposed to be. The greatest promotion of all is that which transforms a sinner into a saint. This is only made possible through divine assistance. Because man could not attain this spiritual promotion by his own efforts, God came in to help us. This season, the Lord will assist you and move you to a level you are not qualified to occupy in Jesus’ Name.

Beyond assisted state of progress is the accelerated state of progress. This is progress of the unusual kind. It defiles time, expectations and protocol. Under the influence of this state of progress, you could be at the bottom now and find yourself at the very top moments later. David experienced this type of progress in 1^st Samuel 16:11-13. He was just watching over his father’s sheep and goats in the fields when a messenger came and told him he was urgently needed at home. “What for?”, he asked. The messenger’s reply was “I don’t know, but we have a visitor – a man, I think he is a prophet, and he asked for you to come right away.” As soon as he got home, God told the prophet, “This is the fellow, anoint him now.” Samuel asked David to kneel before his brethren and he anointed him. By the time the boy got up, he was already a king. One moment he was a shepherd boy, and at the next, he was a king. That is accelerated progress!

At the registry on the day of my wedding, we could not but notice what was happening around us. A particular girl was dressed up to be wedded, but she waited endlessly for the bridegroom, not knowing he had absconded. She almost went berserk, but she eventually survived the disappointment. Not long after, she was married to a soldier. Unknown to her, the man who jilted her also joined the army. One day, there was a military coup, and the husband, the governor. So, anytime this girl was to enter the car, her former husband-to-be had to open the door for her. This season, God will overlook time, protocol and the arrangement of men in order ton accelerate your promotion! Your progress shall receive divine speed in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:Father, by divine speed, move me, my family and members of my local assembly to the very top in Jesus’ Name.

Read More

PEACE THROUGH HIS PRESENCE : Sunday August 16th 2015

Topic :PEACE THROUGH HIS PRESENCE 

Memorise: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Romans 5:1

Bible Text: Exodus 14:13-14

Bible in one year: Genesis 21:8-23:20, John 14:15-31

The assurance that God is on the side of the righteous and not against them, give peace to their life. It is commonly said that “One with God is majority.” Even if the whole world is against you, as long as you know that God is on your side, you will not be afraid. As a child of God, because God has justified and cleansed you, there is now peace between you and Him (Romans 5:1). The rift of separation is gone! Condemnation is also gone! Praise God! As long as God stands by you, nobody can withstand you (Romans 8:31). If God is for you, it means that He loves you, and if He loves you, then you are more than a conqueror. If God is for you, He will personally take over the battles of your life. As you simply praise and worship Him, He will arise and engage your enemies in battle. You can be certain He will bring the victory back to you. While facing the Red Sea with no visible way to cross it, the children of Israel suddenly had the Egyptian army rushing furiously towards them. Faced with this impossible situation, Moses said this to them in Exodus 14:14:

“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

When you have the Commander-in-Chief of the heavenly hosts fighting for you, oh what peace and joy will flood your heart in the midst of the storms of life! As long as Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is in your boat, that boat will never sink. A song writer wrote, “… No water can swallow the ship where lies, the Master of ocean and earth and skies”. This is so true. You can go to sleep in the midst of an earthquake when God is with you. That was why Peter sleep so deep after his arrest. Acts 12:6-7 tells of how he slept, bound between two soldiers:

“And when Herod would have brought Him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.”

He knew that even though he was in prison, He was safely in God’s hands. He also knew that God can do the impossible whenever He decides to. Are you anxious over how you will come out of that impossible situation? Fear not! What did Peter do to come out? Nothing! He slept while others prayed, yet he came out. You are coming out today in Jesus’ Name. Because God is with you, you will never fall.  

 Key point:The peace that God gives cannot be eroded by the storms of life.

Read More

FAVOUR UPROOTS OBSTACLES : Saturday August 15th 2015

Topic:FAVOUR UPROOTS OBSTACLES 

Memorise: Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. Job 10:12

Bible Text: Zachariah 4:6-9

 Bible in one year: Genesis 19:1-21:7, John 13:31-14:14

In the journey of life, the enemy can place obstacles in the way of a man to prevent the actualisation of his destiny. Zerubbabel was a man commissioned by God to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem and to restore the worship of God at His temple. The Word of the Lord concerning this came expressly to him through several prophets and scribes, including Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra (Haggi 1:1-2, Zechariah 4:9, Ezra 2:1-2). In spite of these facts, the enemy still put difficulties along his way to prevent him from fulfilling God’s divine destiny for his life (Ezra 4:3-5). However, Zrubbabel found favour before God, and the unmerited favour of God was sent to uproot the obstacles the enemy placed in his way (Zachariah 4:7). This season, the Lord will remove every obstacle the enemy has placed in your way in Jesus’ Name.

Read More

HE USES FISHERMEN : Friday August 14th 2015

Topic:HE USES FISHERMEN

Memorise: Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 1^st Corinthians 12:22

Read: Luke 5:1-11

 Bible in one year: Genesis 17-18, John 13:1-30

When the time comes for God to fulfil a plan He has predestined to happen, He looks out for those He can use for this purpose. God does not discriminate in His choice of persons to use to accomplish His mission. He can use the great or the small. When the time came for Him to choose those who would serve and learn His Son, He chose some raw fishermen. Our God is awesome, and His ways are past finding out! In today’s Bible reading, when Jesus found Peter, He told him that from that day, he would no longer catch fishes from the sea, but human souls from the world. If God can use a raw uneducated fisherman like Peter, He can use you more. You are very useful to God. However, do you make yourself available for His use? Ironically, as the number of ministers is increasing, the number of those who are available for God’s use is decreasing. As a result of this, many people bear the title of minister, but they are not available to perform their assignments. Have we forgotten the acronym F.A.T., which stands for Faithfulness, Availability and Teach-ability? If God will use you, these three must be the code you live by. Today, because the people we consider more suitable for kingdom assignments are either too busy or giving too much excuses, God is moving to those who have made themselves available to do His work, even when those people appear less suitable for the work, even when those people appear less suitable for the work. Are you available to serve God? If you can create time to do your secular work that you will have to leave someday, why can’t you create time to serve your Maker who can reward you for your service in eternity?

There are some people who feel God cannot use them, because they have not yet bagged a degree, amassed some wealth or become famous. Oh, how mistaken they are! Do you know that God can use you just as you are? He can use you even in your limited state, if you will only turn your life over to Jesus. Do not wait to get your miracle first before telling others about the love of God. In any way you can share the gospel with the unsaved, go on and do so. Lead others to Christ. Use your influence to motivate people to do the right thing. Be a positive, holy influence on your peers. Remember, if you bear fruit for God’s kingdom, it will be His responsibility to do what He can to make you more fruitful.

 Action Point:You are very important to God. If you fail to play your role in the Body of Christ, it could bring losses to God’s kingdom. Determine to play your role today.

Read More